Actuating means for lubricating devices



E. R. PACKER ACTUATING MEANS FOR LUBRICATING DEVICES May 2, 1944.

Filed April '7, 1943 M R v.

TE E

V M m mnl Patented May 2, 1944 OFFICE ACTUATING MEANS FOR LUBRICATIN'G,

DEVICES Eben Ray Packer. New Rochelle, N. Y., assignor to The Rails Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application April '7, 1943, Serial No. 482,083

6 Claims.

My present invention relates generally to ac tuating means for lubricating devices and more particularly to attachments for automatic lubricators such as are used on railroad locomotives and the like, whereby the amount of lubricant fed may be "varied, preferably automatically, to suit the operating conditions.

It is the present practise on railroad locomotives, for example, to provide automatic pressure feed lubrication to the bearings and cylinders using a lubricator actuated by an arcuately swinging arm driven by a link from any suitable reciprocating part of the engine, usually a lever of the valve gear. Thus the feed of the oil is based on the speed of the locomotive with-' out "respect to the load though the rate of feed is normally set to a maximum load condition. Hence, when the locomotive is drifting or running free down grade or under momentum and the throttle is closed, the amount of oil fed to the hot cylinders is not only greater than is required for lubrication but is .a positive detriment in that the excess results in carbonization, particularly of the cylinder ports, progressively reducing the area of intake and causing a loss of engine power.

By the application to such a lubricating system of an embodiment of my invention responsive to the admission of steam to the driving cylinders, the oil feed may be decreased when the steam pressure is shut ofi, as in drifting or running free, and may, in fact, be varied as desired in accordance with steam pressure admitted to the driving cylinders or in accordance with the operating requirements.

I prefer to accomplish this by providing a unitary device which may be integral with or attached to the arcuately swinging arm of any lubricator of the usual, or standard type and to which the reciprocating lever of the engine may be pivotally connected by a link member. Such pivot connection point is thereby made movable by fiuid pressure means responsive to the ad mission of steam to the engine cylinders, to which such device is flexibly connected, in order that the effective length of the swinging arm of the lubricator may be varied without variation in the reciprocating stroke of the attached link member. Thus with a fixed stroke of the engine lever and link, there may be a variable throw of the swinging arm of the lubricator, greater with a, short .arm and less with a long arm. Under open throttle conditions the swinging arm is shortened, the throw of the arm then being maximum and the resulting oil feed a maximum.

With free rolling'of the locomotive, as with steam cutoff, the swinging arm is lengthened, the throw of the arm then being a minimum and the re sulting oil feed greatly lessened.

It is an object of my invention to provide relatively inexpensive means whereby greater economy in oil consumption may be, obtained in engine lubrication even with the present equipment. A further object of my invention is to decrease the carbonization of oil in and about engine cylinders and prevent progressive loss of power, thus increasing the efiiciency of operation and saving labor involved in overhaul.

With the foregoing and other objects in view as will be apparent to those skilled in the art as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction and application described in this specification and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the particular embodiment of the invention within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention. I intend no limitation other'than those of the claims when fairly interpreted in the light of the full disclosure and the present state of the art.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing illustrative of my invention and an embodiment thereof at present preferred,

Fig. 1 is a vertical view, partly in section, illustrative of the present invention and showing the operating parts of a variable actuating means positioned for maximum oil feed;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view illustrative of the application of such a device as that of Fig. 1 and a method of attachment thereof as a unit to-the usual lubricator;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectionalelevation corresponding to Fig. 1 and illustrative of a further modification.

Like reference characters relate to like parts in the several views.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention illustrated, the usual automatic lubricator 'l of a locomotive is provided with an arcuately swinging arm 2 which normally actuates a unidirectional clutch within a casing 3, thereby giving progressive intermittent rotary motion to the shaft 23 of the lubricator mechanism, as is well known in the art, the amount of rotary motion depending upon the angular throw of .arm 2.

Forming a part of or, preferably, attached to the swinging arm 2 by means of studs 4 (Fig. 2) is a unitary fluid responsive device including a To the pivot pin 2| isattached a yoke l8 of a the maximum through intermediate positions to a minimum with steam shut oflZ completely and the lococotive drifting or running free. It will further be apparent that fluid pressure other than steam, such as air for example, may be applied to actuate the piston 9 and, if desired, any fluid may be manually controlled by suitable valves in the supply line.

What I claim is:

1. The improvement in lubricating systems for locomotives and the like employing a pressure link member I! which is further pivoted as by a similar yoke 24 and pin 25 to a reciprocating part l6 of the engine. v A pipe or tube H provides an operating connection by means of ports M with the interior of the cylinder 1, in this instance below the piston 9. The port passages may be closed at the bottom by means of a removable drain plug I 5. One end of the pipe ll may be connected at IS with the steam supply of the driving cylinders as by a flexible tube l2. In some instances it may be desirable to provide a calibrated spring pressure member 2 2 above the piston 9, as will be later explained, the cylinder 1 readily being made of the length necessary or desirable.

In operation it will be observed that reciprocation of the engine part IS in the running of the locomotive causes the arcuate swingof the entire cylinder assembly 5 8 and the arm 2, the

,feed lubricator actuated by an arcuately swinging arm adapted and arranged to be driven by a reciprocating member which improvement consists of fluid operated means comprising a cylinder and piston operatively mounted on said arm and arcuately swinging therewith, a fluid connection to said cylinder for operating said pispivot pin 2| swinging in an arc about-the shaft 23, the radius of swing and the effective length of the swinging arm being the center to center distance from the pin 2| to the shaft23. Atall times when the locomotive is in motion there will. bea reciprocation of the part l6 and a swing of the arm 2 and therefore a supply of oil pumped from the lubricator. If the engine throttle is opened, under the arrangement illustrated, steam will be admitted through the pipe II and ports l4 below piston 9, forcing the latter upwards and, by the connection of the piston through the rod If) to the pivot pin 2|, the latter will also be raised towards the upper end of slot 20 and held by the steam pressure on the piston 9. This shortens the effective length of the swinging arm and a given reciprocating mot.on imparted to the pivot pin 2l results in a maximum throw of the arm, in practice amounting to about 45 degrees. Q 7 a v A release of steam pressure below the piston 9, caused by the pumping action of the 1oc omotive pistons and condensation as by closing the locomotive throttle and creating thereby a suction under piston 9, will result in the piston dropping down;and the pivot point, 2| being lowered towards the bottom of slot 20, thus effec'e tively lengthening the radius of the swinging arm. -Unuder these conditions the same reciprocating motion as previously gave a maximum arc of movement or throw of the arm 2 will now give a minimum throw, in practise amounting to about "30 degrees in my preferred structure.

Obviously, a. change in the length of piston travel and consequent movement of the pivot pin 2|. may be made to give a different maximum or minimum throw. a

I .Where it may be desired to vary the oil feed with part throttle, the introduction of a call: brated spring 22 (Fig. 3) above the piston 9 to oppose the upwardv movement of the piston will permit the piston position, and thus the position of the pivot 2|, to change with any variation in steam pressure supplied to the cylinders so that the oil iced may b likewise varied-from ton under fluid pressure responsive to the admission of steam to the driving cylinders of the locomotive, a rod connected to said piston extending lengthwise of said. arm and pivotally connected to the reciprocating member so as to move said pivotal connection lengthwiseof said arm when said piston is moved by the fluid pressure and thus vary the effective length of said arm and thereby the arcuate swing of said arm without variation inthe strokefof the reciprocating member. Y

2. In a lubricating device for locomotives and the like including a pressure feed lubricator actuated by an. arcuately swinging arm', the combination therewith of fluid operated means carried by'and forming an extension of said arm and arcuately swinging therewith and responsive to the pressure of steam in the locomotive drive cylinders to vary the efiective length of said arm with varying steam pressure supplied to the locomotive cylinders.

. 3. A structure as defined in claim,2 in which said fluid operated means includes a cylinder positioned lengthwise of said arm, a piston operatively positioned within said cylinder and mov-r able therein in response to the steam pressure admitted to the locomotive cylinders and resilient means opposing the movement of said' piston in one direction.

4. In a lubricating system for locomotives and the like including a pressure feed lubricator, the combination of an arcuately swinging arm for said lubricator, a pivot movable lengthwise "of said arm and connected to a reciprocating link member driven by a part of the locomotive as sembly, fluid operated means carried by said arm and arcuately movable therewith comprising a cylinder and a piston connected/to. said movable pivot, a guide for said pivot positioned lengthwise of said arm' and rigidly fastened thereto, fluid connection to said cylinder to per-, mit changing the position of said piston under fluid pressure and thereby change the location of said pivot in said guide to vary the effective length of said arm and thus vary the .arcuate swing of said arm without variation in the reciprocating stroke of said pivot. 1 j

5. As an article of manufacture, an attachment for a pressure feed lubricatorarm comprising a cylinder constructed to be positioned lengthwise of said arm when aflixed thereto, an operating connection for the admission of fluid to said cylinder, a piston within said cylinder responsive to fluid pressure; a pistonrod con nected to said piston and projecting'from'said cylinder provided with an opening for 'pivotal connection to a driving part, a lever aflixed to a pivot member passing through said slot pivotally connecting said reciprocating operating member and said arcuately swinging arm, fluid operated means carried by said arm including a fluid responsive member connected to said pivot member whereby to move said pivot member in said slot lengthwise of said swinging arm and thus vary the arcuate swing of said arm without variation in the reciprocating travel of 10 said pivot member.

EBEN RAY PACKER. 

